Underworld A New Dimension (Chapter 1) Original Story
by MDev the Artist
Summary: Tiffany Badia; a normal 13-year-old starting highschool...or is she? In a turn of events, a car runs her over, and sends her to Underworld. Could this new dimension be a fun experience with her dead relatives, or will it help her get back home? Find out the beginning of her story by reading Chapter 1. More chapters coming soon! (Inspired by Casper's Scare School)


**-Chapter 1; Accidents Happen-**

In the middle of October, a gleaming car hurtled down the barren street, picking up immense speed as it rolled along. Obviously the person steering was driving much faster than they should have been, and it clearly wasn't allowed in a school zone. Everyone on the sidewalk who had seen the car had looked on in shock, but had been safe from the vehicle nonetheless.

Except for one girl.

Tiffany Badia.

She was a short, plump girl with soft, bushy blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. Her family lived in a more secluded corner of Cincinnati, Ohio. Tiffany was the sort of person to get very absorbed in whatever activity she was engaged in, be it pointless or important. She definitely wasn't someone who could multitask well; multitasking meaning crossing the street and talking on the phone at the same time.

She was on her way to the bus stop after the gates of Withrow International High School had closed. The sky was dim with wet clouds. It had already been raining that day, and the road was slick with water, dyed from its usual asphalt grey to a lacquered black. Her sneakers thumped down the cold, wet crosswalk, her mother asking her about what sort of homework she had that night at the same moment Tiffany glanced up from her damp shoelaces to see a speeding, red car, a mere twenty feet from her and getting closer by the millisecond. Tiffany froze, stock still, staring into the bright headlights, all thoughts of homework and her mother replaced by the intensity of her beating heart and the thought of impact that would come so suddenly and so fast. The impact came, slamming into her before she had the chance to take a breath. Tiffany was thrown so far and so hard she landed a full six feet off the crosswalk and the cell phone leapt from her hand, landing somewhat safely. Her mother heard a short, keening wail and a sickening, wet crunch like a baby rabbit being bitten by a fox. "Tiff?" her mother's panicked voice came from her glitching, cracked phone. "Tiffany?! Are you okay?!"

The car quickly drove away into the terrified silence as if nothing had happened.

Tiffany felt a brutal, cold wind and her ears were immediately assaulted with a cacophony of chattering warped voices like a bent record, crying, cameras clicking, and blaring sirens, all smashed together discordantly. An excruciating pain in her legs and face came instantaneously, a sharp, freezing pain like a thousand knives, but as her agonized screech attempted to escape from her throat, it was swept away as fast as the pain itself. The wind dulled, warmth came, and a pleasant glow of the stars and space appeared around her. She had always enjoyed looking at the stars, but what had happened? And then she realized it, with equal force to the car that had ended her life moments earlier.

Had her life really, truly been taken from her? Was she really _dead_? No, it couldn't be. Thirteen year old girls don't die, and if they did, which they surely don't, she wouldn't. Not Tiffany Badia, not her. Not Tiffany, a nobody to the schoolmates she shared her school days with. Not Tiffany, the quiet, studious girl who had never had a loyal friend. Never her…she was untouchable, or so she thought. Would she never see her family? The mother that had been awkwardly distanced, yet kind? The brother that had been well-meaning but playfully idiotic? Her eccentric kitten that they rescued from the pound? And what about her tough, caring father? He divorced his mother over an argument about his work. Although he was gone all the time, he came to her and the rest of the family for important holidays. She closed her eyes, thinking about her father, and wanted to cry, only to find that she had no eyes. She didn't have a body. Only her semi-conscious spirit and no one to comfort her. She was alone. She had died alone.

She floated in the calm sea of warm light and wondered. _This is rather nice…I don't know if I'd mind it…_ She was about to be lulled into a trance by the unfamiliar and comfortable silence when a mysterious voice finally broke it.

"Tiffany Badia." the voice spoke boldly, and it was wonderful. Male and female mixed together, both steady and vibrational at the same time, decidedly harmonious and undecidedly so. The voice was a perfect balance of beautifully soft and hard, biting tones, and Tiffany's spirit was completely in awe.

Tiffany decided to speak up.

"Hello. Who are you? Am I in heaven or hell?" Tiffany timidly replied, her voice small and wavering, as if it hadn't been used for weeks. She was surprised at her ability to speak at all.

"Neither. In fact, those don't exist." The voice replied.

"What is this, then?"

"There's no exact name for this place, but it's where I help you make your choice."

"What choice? I'm dead, aren't I?" Tiffany snapped.

"That's true, but you have two options in your afterlife. The first choice is to become an angel and watch over your family for generations…"

Tiffany thought. She would like to see her family again, but she wouldn't be able to interact with them.

"Go on," she said, listening attentively.

"The second choice is to become a ghost to fulfill your life goal, or goals, as you died before your time of age. You have three chances, at most, with a lifespan at 100 years each time, starting at your current age." The voice said, respectful yet austere.

"A-and if I do?"

"You become a star in the sky, making your ideal fantasy in space. Anything you want or cherish will be placed in a paradise of your own…"

"Even my family?"

"They won't be completely real, but yes."

"…Then what happens if I fail?"

"You'll become a rock on your planet, doomed to your own dark thoughts, without even the consolation of the five senses. You will be unable to know nor influence the world."

Tiffany was silent. The latter sounded the most appealing, but what if she failed? She imagined life as a cold, hard stone. No sunlight, never again would she feel the warm sun on her upturned face. No rain, either. Why did failing come with such a harsh punishment? However, to become a star in the sky…she could surely figure her goals, given three chances.

"I choose the second choice, please."

The voice seemed like it chuckled softly, and everything swirled down, as if it were being swallowed by a large drain…

She was put through a bright beam of light. The beam propelled at an incredible speed. Tiffany's right hand tingled and the feeling spread over all of her body from there. All of this came so suddenly. What was going to become of her? Why was the light so blinding? The beam zoomed throughout the universe until it paused at a planet, looking similar to Earth. The brightness dulled so she could look at it, but before Tiffany could admire it, the bright beam dived towards the planet and dropped her off at a cozy, blue house. It was morning, even though Tiffany clearly remembered it being late evening.

The front yard consisted of trees, plants, and flowers. When Tiffany looked closer, however, she caught sight of neat little rows of olive trees, their silvery leaves rattling in the slight breeze. Herbs and flowers were placed in strategic spots around the yard so that you could easily walk among them and not step on them. Lamb's Ear, sneezewort, and agapanthus were planted along the trail, and marigold were placed at certain distances so that they would repel bugs just right. Tiffany caught a whiff of a sugary scent, and turned to the largest clump of snapdragons she had ever seen. They were in every known color, and even more if that was possible. The overall effect was as if you were standing in ancient Italy, in one of the most sumptuous gardens known to man.

Before entering, she inspected herself. Her clothes, a purple shirt, black jeans, navy blue hoodie, and pink sneakers, were exactly the same as she remembered them. Her skin was now noticeably lavender. She smiled at the colour; it was her favorite. She felt her hair as well; still bushy. Tiffany took a strand of thick, tangled hair to see if it was still blonde. Tiffany was wrong, it was also lavender, but a slightly darker shade than her skin, and she smiled wider. The voice was right, she did become a ghost. She looked through the reflective window of the house and found that her auburn eyes were the same. She frowned surveying them, reminding her how she looked like the devil with those reddish irises.

Tiffany knocked on the door of the house, the voice had obviously transferred her here for a reason. After some small, unintelligible arguing, the door opened with one dark green, bespectacled man with neatly combed hair at the peak of his "young" age, one old, scruffily bearded, dandelion coloured man, with a gentle smile on his face, and one young electric blue woman in athletic wear. The blue one reminded her of someone. Tiffany decided to speak instead of standing awkwardly. "Um…is this the Badia residence?" From that sentence alone, all of their eyes lit up and two of them surrounded her in a warm group hug. The girl was slightly uncomfortable and stifled in the middle of their welcoming, but decided that it was rude to pull away from her family members. They invited her inside and gave her a tour of the house. It was lovely with its dark oak floor and cream-coloured walls. The kitchen was clean, unlike the one on Earth, and the bathroom didn't smell like kitten litter. She let out a sigh. She'd have to get used to this "new" Badia family.

:::::::

| Thank you for reading! Please leave your criticisms in the comments, and don't be afraid to leave anything negative. If someone writes something negative, you shouldn't judge them for saying their opinion about this chapter. However, please try not to be rude to me or anyone else. If you liked this chapter, there are plenty more that I'd be willing to post for your ideas and criticism. I'll try my best to respond. - MDev |


End file.
